FYJC seats to be increased by 8%?

The state government has proposed to increase the number of seats at some of the prominent junior colleges in the city by 5% to 8% to ensure students from the state education board do not lag behind. Officials said around 60 colleges in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have been identified for this purpose, on the basis of their cut-offs from 2018.

The move has been proposed after state secondary certificate (SSC) students recorded a poor performance this year, leaving them at a disadvantage in the first year junior college (FYJC) admissions as compared to students from national school boards, which saw higher scores.

Newly-appointed minister for school education, Ashish Shelar, met principals of more than 50 schools at Jai Hind College on Monday to discuss the proposal. The meeting was planned before Shelar assumed charge of the post. “We were told that the government was considering a 5% increase of seats in prominent colleges for science stream and 8% increase in arts and commerce seats. While many principals had concerns about whether the infrastructure and staff would be enough for additional students, most of them were positive about the move for the benefit of SSC students,” said the principal of a south Mumbai college.

Education department officials said a final decision about the matter is yet to be taken and details will most likely be revealed in the on-going Assembly session. Principals said that if implemented, the move would effectively lead to an increase of around 10 to 15 students in every division. “Currently, each division has 120 students, so it might now go up to 130,” said another principal.

Meanwhile, despite stating that the list of junior colleges and cut-off marks from 2018 would be uploaded on its official website on Monday, the education department did not do so. Parents said the delay has increased their and students’ anxiety.